Back pain: Supplements containing this Southeastern Asian spice could help lessen soreness

Back pain, particularly in the lower back, is common, but other places people experience it include the upper back, and on their left and right hand side.

In the majority of cases, the pain isn’t caused by anything serious and will usually get better over time.

A GP can examine your back and discuss possible treatments, but there are things you can do to relieve it.

The NHS recommends staying active, doing back exercises and stretches, and taking painkillers, but other health experts say certain supplements can help.

Nutritionist Dr Josh Axe’s website states turmeric (1,000mg daily) can help aches and pains in this area of the body.

The site says: “Tumeric contains curcmin, which is the active ingredient that has powerful anti-inflammatory abilities, anti-ageing effects and reduces pain.”

Vitamin D, capsaicin, glucosamine and chondroitin have also been either proven or recommended to offer relief.

Vitamin D

A deficiency in this vitamin could be responsible for making your pain worse. A study published in Pain Physician in 2013 found severe pain was associated with a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in people with lumbar spinal stenosis, a condition with lower back pain as a symptom.

Capsaicin

This has a long history of being used for medicinal purposes. While it comes from food, it is not a nutritional supplement, and instead comes as a cream.

A review published in the Journal of Pain Research in 2011 showed capsaicin had a pain-relieving effect in 38 per cent of study participants with musculoskeletal pain.

The relief was also found to last four to eight weeks.

Glucosamine and chondroitin

These are both compounds that occur naturally in the body. Glucosamine is found in fluid around the joints and chondroitin is found in cartilage surrounding joints, according to the U.S.National Library of Medicine.

Dr David Farahmand, an interventional pain management physician with the Brain and Spine Institute of California in Newport Beach, told Everyday Health that while there are not studies on the effectiveness of glucosamine chondroitin supplements for back pain suffered, there have been studies that show a meaningful impact on chronic knee pain.

Many people use it for other chronic conditions such as low back pain. He said: “In my clinical experience it does help some but not all patients.”

Staying active for as long as possible is one of the most important things you can do to relieve back pain.

Yoga is one of the best exercises you can do to prevent the condition, it’s been claimed.

Yoga emphasises stretching, flexibility and strength, and could even relieve back ache, said medical website EverydayHealth.

Certain postures can help to stretch or lengthen your spine, it said.

The exercise encourages your body to develop defences against the causes of back pain. That includes weak abdominal and pelvic muscles, as well as a lack of hip flexibility.

Strengthening these muscles can improve your posture, which reduces the load on your back, it said.

Stretching also increases flexibility by boosting the blood flow to tight muscles.